Lammy’s cohabitation rules threaten unmarried couples with ‘horrendous’ court costsLammy introduced the reform in June before he left the cabinet. Justice secretary Alex Norris is facing backlash from senior legal figures on plans to give unmarried couples court-enforced rights after three years of cohabitation, passed on to him by predecessor David Lammy. The government is currently consulting on proposals to reform British couples’ cohabitation rights, which would give the courts power to intervene when unmarried couples break up after having a child or living together for three years. Lammy’s proposal, introduced in June and open for consultation until 14th August, would automatically impose financial, property, and inheritance rights on unmarried couples unless they both agree to legally opt out. The crossbench peer said if people do choose to pay for lawyers in cohabitation disputes “the cost of litigation would be horrendous.”